Tool handle



Nov. 9, 1943. E. R. T. HOWARD TOOL HANDLE Filed July 5, 1942 This invention rentes totbolhandlsand more pmi-@umm to `theeyeignition et tool hermes for e oonventionalftool hand ref:ma'de'V withthe eye :portions: largertnari'tne pez'iingr in the head of the tool .in 4whiehthey are to .be insert-mand the handle tothe tool head, and sometimeswe-l `be @wield-3,12` and easily placed without the necessity of -.dessihg or eye pori-,iota tothetOGIQheadL "j Videf-fr more rmly securing i'a.' 'olf handle? to tu.lr

m01 head: to: iprovide a; betterfntfvfbr the handle and tool head; and to provide plane surfah the handlefincling .tov'vrditheffcetralait theV eye portion 'off thehndle I.

i im;

' Surfae" hamrne'r fxhead and #section `liet-tei: illustratethfeaconstruction thereof; g ,Fig.\6 isa perspectiveview'of a. mddviedpform ofthe handle particularly adapted for larger 1700182.: w lv y. ,.t f; i v. Referring moreginj-detato fthe drawing;

The handle igpmyidea with yan eye@ xrticm;f J1,:5 at one ,end thereof; haying a long-it u1 Vslotl 6 'extending substantiallyetha entire lengthy of the eyepension:fandzazslot"1 arraneedtlfansizerselyof the' longitudiealfslot extending. ubStantially' he semetdstane relative tothe-length 0f` the" ye m1121911 fas `.the lorlg-itufiiznafl t than, thepelning Qfinten d to loe-used, and 1s gt-911 www@ de tient aedcpai1e-surfac 12,. en thereof. The plane Surfaces 8,1;

are illustratedV in the aiccerpanyingffd-'rawingf e ent invention:`

ai hammer he'a'd `being a'pplieiltheretof,portions 'fof the hammer head bingob'rokeiravay tozib'ette Y Figr `is fai'verticaliitransifersel s'exvztionalli'v-ettl throughs afhammer f headv applied to- Ithe'feye lpor'- Figi-a4 is afs-de'elevati'onal vewfof-th-'eeyezporhl i tion" of` a tool handleTshowngrtheassemllysofl theL tool h-ea'di'1completed;` the'portonffof therhandle' removed afterfnsrtibn bei-nglshbwnl in dotted lines.

Wing aportion of theV for thev form/'of inventionshovvn in Fig.The Igreater number Iofslotsallovvs'greater contraction and expansionl of the yeye portion Whichprovides easier insertion in a, tool head having eyes ofjirel-A in thetool headcauvs'es the'outer'surfacesthereof More particularly,-the handle is forced through the tool eye until the eye passes over the apices I3 and I6 of the eye portion of the handle and the plane surfaces 8, 9, Ill and Ilvonv opposite sides andedges of the eye portion come to rest against the interior walls of the: eye ofthe tool head, as indicated at 25,26, Fig. 3,` and 21, 28, Fig. 4, in such a manner that the apices I3 and I6 of the plane surfaces 9 and I0 are adjacent with thelo'uterface 29, IEig.' 4, of thetool head, and the inner endf30` lof the tooleye is forced tightly against plane surfaces adj acent'the apices I4 and I'Ito form ashoulder 3I, as illustrated Fig. 4. A

After the eye portion 4, `5 passes throughfithei'f tool head, the eye portion expandsV to tightlyl errgage the walls of the tool eye and the' longitudi-` 'l nal and transverse slots open asshownfratfBZg The tapered end 33 extending beyond the Lface 29 of "the tool 4head `may thenbe-cntv oi, zbylsawf ing or otherwise, so Vthat the handle isflushwith the face ofthe headiasshown by dottedxlin'es', Fg."4. `fY SII-j i Wedges 34, Fig. 4 are then driven into the' longitudinal and transvers'eslots VI5 land 1 to `further expandfthereye por-tion4;-5, as indicat'edf'at 35, Fig..4, and' 36, Fig. 5,*s'othat'1theleye-:o'f thetool head issubstantially filled bylthe' handle and the handle is firmly held in the toolhead.` '2 f 'I'he `modified. formy of-handle illustrated in Fig.'6 is intended for use on tools .having eyes of larger*dimension.than the 'conventional claw ham'iner above` 'describedf-s'uch =as l picks, doublebitte'd axes, or theflike( Such a handle is'provided with a `longitudinal slot 38-'in theeye portion thereof, and a plurality of -transverse slots 39, M1.l This forni of' structurealso 'has surfaces 4I, 42T on Ythe sides 'and '43, 44 on theend edgesfof t the `eye portion -inclining-inwardly toward/the' 40 central axes 45,46 thereof-,f-a's'with theforin' illus-'- trated innig. 'I l In assembling "this forin'A oi'I handle'the Reperation is substantially the rsame J'as that described atively large diirlensions.l 7 y o It is Wellknown that the eye 'portion ofl tool heads vary in dimension considerablyI Withmy invention; should the l'tool' headA 2 'have an veye' of normal `shape and dimensin the Wall-30 ofthe head will come to 'rest' at afpointsubstantially mid-way between the lapex VI 4'Iofthe plane surface 9 andthe central axisjI 5 of the'eye portionof the tool handle. If the toolf'eye 4is smaller the Wall ofthe head vvillcometo'rest at a point nearer the central axis I5. yI f 'thetool eye iis larger the Wall of he head will come to 'rest at "a point nearer the apex I4 ofthe plane 'surface 9.k Y

It willthus be' seen that -vwith 'my improved structure, I have Vprovided'a toolhanidlefhaving aneye'portion which may assu1nef'sma'llerv dimensions when-forced into-a to'oliheaclA andl which exv pands to nearlyits norrnal; dirnensionsa'fter pas'sj ing throughvtheeyel'of the'j togli head; 'according to the sizeof-such head.'l Thexpansion offthe' eye; portion of "the to'o'l handle *after its insertion to Contact theinner walls fftiie'tqieyeand the enlrgedapsfl een'. 6 of??? Plfieriei' and l MSSS' rmlyiagainsi e ing outside Yface of the prevent the head from'slipping off the handle.

- When Wedges are driven into place, this further ward the outerplane surfaces tend to yhold the handle in the tool head inl fixed position so that thel head doesnot slip in either direction on the handle, as there is an inherent tension in the forces yvorkinglfrom the apices ofl the plane surfaces towardthe central axesof the eye p`ortion. l While I have illustrated a handle foruse in a, z vtool head having an eye of nearly rectangular :"andfround shapes, it will be apparent that the i j handle maybe made to fitany shape tool eye, l ""sucli' as' 'quadrilateraL oval, triangular and the like.and may bemade of any suitable material., What I claim and desire to secure by LettersL i `L Aptoolhandle/ having anv eye portion -prof 'e vided with longitudinal and transverse slotsandi havingsurfaces converging from the ends of f the Agagethe outer and inner-edges of the eye of a tool head when the head.

eye, an elongated handle having a slotted eye portion at one end thereof v adapted to ;be inserted in l the;;eyc; offsaid tool head, said eye y,portionfbeingg of longer-length thanthe eye, of the tolol head, the ends of; theeyeportion being of larger cross -section than the eye inthe tool head,` the sides off saideye portionofthehandle forming faces converging yfrornthe ends-of the eye fportion. and

meetingin a plane perpendicular to the ;=lo1`1giA tudinal centraliaxis of the handle and substantiallyfmidwaybetweenthe endsrof said eye port-.-

points ifspaced from lthe fplane Amidway of :the eye 'portion anti-intermediate the ends .of z'said eye 1.3; In combinationfwitha tool' head having eye, an elongated handleha'ving an eye portion at one end thereof adaptedto Vbe inserted linthe eye ofsaidto'ol head, sai'dfeye portion-*being vof" v longer length: thanfthe '.eyei of Athe tool f headA and having Iongitudinaland transverse' `slotsjthe ends of the eye portion being of larger cross `vsection y y than the.` eye1=in the-tool =head,. the sides'of'said eye portionv of thehandleV forminglfaces cohverg-` f y.

ing from the ends of the eye portion andfmeeting in a plane-.perpendicularto.-the'longitudinalcentral axis ofthe handle and substantially;midway o betweenv the..ends of s'aidr eyeportioh, thereby; 'forming a reduced portion at the centerofv the eye' portion of the handle whereby;theendszofif tlie.Vv

handle is inserted in sa idm f- 

